Dental development of permanent lateral incisor in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate

Objective: The objective of this retrospective study was to verify whether the root development of the permanent lateral incisor on the cleft side was delayed, compared with its contralateral tooth in subjects with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. Setting: Craniofacial Anomalies Rehabilitation Hospital (HRAC)-University of Sao Paulo-Bauru, Brazil. Patients: A sample of 98 panoramic radiographs of HRAC patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate was selected, regardless of sex and race. Main Outcome Measure: Panoramic radiographs were analyzed and the root development stage of the cleft-side permanent lateral incisor was compared with its contralateral tooth. Results: Overall, the permanent cleft-side lateral incisor was significantly delayed in root development in relation to the noncleft side contralateral tooth (p < .05). However, no significant differences were observed between boys and girls. Conclusions: Root development of the permanent cleft-side lateral incisor was delayed, compared with its contralateral tooth. The cleft itself may play an important role in this delay because the results from boys and girls were very similar.